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Recitation before sleeping

Recitation before sleeping

Question:

Assalamu alaikum

If one recites certain sunnah suwar, like surah mulk, that are supposed to be read before going to sleep, does it have to be immediately before going to sleep or can they be recited a few hours earlier?

1: When the time to sleep would enter, then he (Sallallaahu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) would not sleep until he (Sallallaahu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) had recited them both (As-Sajdah and Al-Mulk).

2: He (Sallallaahu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) would never sleep until he (Sallallaahu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) had recited them both.

Meaning that it was not his (Sallallaahu `Alayhi Wa Sallam) habit to sleep before reciting, so the recitation would occur before the time of sleeping entered, no matter what time it was.” [ii]

Mullaa `Ali Al-Qaaree Rahimahullaah then comments himself and says: “And it cannot be doubted that the second possibility is more apparent, due to the fact that there exists no necessity to lead to its restriction (to only the time of sleeping).”[iii]

Therefore it will be permissible to recite it sometime before going to sleep.